All went well. The vet agreed with my husband — he is rarely wrong, and of course, in this case, his opinion coincided with some expressed here. There is nothing much wrong with Perdita, nothing is broken, nothing dislocated. It is just a sprain, with some swelling and warmth. She will get better by herself. As indeed she is doing. She cantered down the passage ahead of me this morning at Pussy Cat’s Breakfast Time (5:45), instead of hobbling.
Here she is in her push chair, awaiting her turn at the surgery. She hissed at that dog.
Knitting
I have nearly finished the 20th band (of 29) on the Tokyo shawl. The 21st is one of the little ones, so today’s target is to reach 22.
Thank you for your help with the future blocking. I’ve had a look on Ravelry. It appears to be pretty rectangular on the actual project page. Play it by ear. More than one knitter has extended the length and I suspect that’s a good idea. There’ll clearly be yarn available.
While I was there (on Ravelry) I had a look at Gunderson’s All Colors Sweater, the one we’ve been talking about. Never mind negative ease — I am alarmed to discover that it uses all the colours of Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted — “about” 137 of them! There are no ends to weave in because one spit-splices, it says: a technique I have never mastered. It’s a magnificent production but for the moment I will stand at a respectful distance.
The side-bar led me in a couple of easy stages to “Free-Spirit Shawls” to which Gunderson has contributed a nice little shoulder shawl where the colour-changes of a Noro yarn do all the work. I’m tempted.
Non-knit
I’m getting on nicely with “Life’s Greatest Secret”, understanding perhaps 1/8th of it. It is odd to think of all these momentous things happening while I was at Oberlin, 1950-54, and all of us unaware of any of it. I think maybe I had heard of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, but if so only because I had a friend who lived on Long Island, not because I had the faintest notion of what was going on there.
On the other hand, when Michael Ventris translated Linear B — and proved that it was Greek: I remember that, vividly.
So happy to hear of Perditas diagnosis. Reassuring to get them to a vet and know the tiny things are okay.
ReplyDeleteYour line about standing aside from Gunderson’s All Colors Sweater reminds me of a line in Pindar where the poetic narrator stops a story and says ephistemai (I stand aside - in horrid transliteration, of course). In grad school we jokingly translated that into the idiom of the time: “I don’t go there.” Thanks for that fun memory!
ReplyDeletecheers,
CKP
Yes, that is good news about Perdita, because one hears of puppies with hereditary abnormalities of the leg joints, and this might have been of that ilk.
ReplyDeleteRe the Gunderson sweater - I was surprised that it was not Kauni Effektgarn, which seems to give a good run of varied colours for this sort of stranded work.
I agree with you on both points - relief that Perdita's lameness will heal itself, and surprise that the Gunderson sweater wasn't done with a "faux isle" multicolored yarn.
Delete-- stashdragon
Happy to hear Perdita is merely suffering from a bit of over enthusiasm. :)
ReplyDeleteAs to the fancy sweater, instead of the 137 colours you could simply use a suitable Noro yarn for the colourwork, maybe? Not quite as precise with the colour changes but the overall effect would be similar.
Wonderful news about Perdita! Please give her an extra dose of kitty pets from Tennessee. :)
ReplyDeleteI have a question for the group: in the past, I used to wet a thread in my mouth to facilitate threading the needle. A textile expert on the newsgroup rctn said that was a terrible thing to do, because the spit encouraged deterioration, and your needlework would begin to break down at that point. So, isn't the same true for spit splicing? If you are going to get holes, won't that be where they start? (Besides, it has never worked for me . . . the yarn just pulls apart again . . . .)
ReplyDeleteI imagine that the first wash removes any problems caused by saliva. I'm sure many "heritage" garments have had spit-spliced sections, and any holes they may have were caused by moths.
Delete-- stashdragon
Thank you! In my needlework, I came to the conclusion that I was not making an item for the ages, but just for my lifetime (I have no kids, so, no heirs; I expect any of my needlepoints or cross stitch masterpieces will end up in the landfill), and have disregarded the advice.
DeleteI was so worried about Perdita for reasons others have mentioned. Wonderful to hear that it's just a sprain! I'm a longtime lurker but a devoted follower. Many times I've learned of some new thing in the knitting world from you first!
ReplyDeleteI was so worried about Perdita for reasons others have mentioned. Wonderful to hear that it's just a sprain! I'm a longtime lurker but a devoted follower. Many times I've learned of some new thing in the knitting world from you first!
ReplyDeleteSo a little spell in the Vet's waiting room has done the same for Perdita as a spell in the Dentist's waiting room does for a toothache. So glad she is pronounced ok: not just for her comfort but that you can be comfortable, having done the right thing.
ReplyDelete